The invention relates to a board-like sliding device in the form of a ski or snowboard.
In AT 504 800 A1 of the same applicant a generic board-like sliding device is disclosed. In this case a board-like force-transmitting element is provided, which is supported on the upper side of the actual sliding board body. The upper side of the board-like force-transmitting element is provided for supporting a binding device, which is used to provide a detachable connection with a sports shoe. At least in the region of the binding assembly zone between the lower side of the board-like force-transmitting element and the upper side of the sliding board body at least one engaging connection is provided, which is formed by integral, strip and/or wart-like elevations on the lower side of the plate-like force-transmitting element and by corresponding groove-like depressions in the upper side of the sliding board body. Said engaging connection is positioned close to the longitudinal middle axis of the sliding board body, in particular aligned with securing screws for the assembly of jaw bodies of the binding device. The securing screws for mounting the jaw bodies of a binding device are anchored directly in the plate-like, relatively thick-walled force-transmitting element and the tips of the screws can extend into the strip and/or wart-like elevations on the lower side of the plate-like force-transmitting element, in order to achieve an increased resistance to tearing out. Furthermore, an increased resistance to the binding screws tearing out is achieved, in that the board-like force-transmitting element is formed by a multilayered composite body, which comprises a plurality of adhesively connected layers, between which at least one core element is arranged. By means of said at least one engaging connection positioned longitudinally centrally between the lower side of the plate-like force-transmitting element and the upper side of the sliding board body on the one hand rotational movements between the plate-like force-transmitting element and the sliding board body relative to a vertical axis can be reliably prevented and in addition an increased resistance to tearing out of the binding screws can be achieved. Owing to the increased effort involved in producing this virtually double-layered, board-like sliding device and the associated additional costs it is difficult to make the functionally advantageous, board-like sliding device accessible to the largest possible number of users.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,322 A describes a ski, which comprises a lower sliding board body and a longitudinally extended reinforcing element secured onto its upper side, which is coupled to the upper side of the sliding board body by means of a flexible and partly rigid connection. The lower sliding board body is defined by a standard ski structure, in which several strengthening layers and a core component are adhered to one another. The reinforcing element, which extends over more than 50% of the length of the sliding board body, according to a first embodiment, is designed to have a multilayered sandwich structure (FIG. 3), which is joined to the upper side of the sliding board body via an elastically flexible adhesive layer. Said multilayered, sandwich-like reinforcing element has a decorative cover layer on its upper side and on its side walls, which determines the external appearance of the reinforcing element. The multilayered sandwich structure of the reinforcing element is complex in terms of manufacturing technology and involves high production costs. Furthermore, the elastically flexible adhesion of the reinforcing element with the upper side of the sliding board body is difficult in terms of production technology and the resulting, mechanical behaviour of the ski is only satisfactory to a certain degree. According to a second embodiment (FIG. 4) it is proposed to form the reinforcing element from a composite material and to have a hat-like or omega shape cross section, wherein the two flanges of a essentially hat-like reinforcing element aligned parallel to the upper side of the sliding board body are adhered on the surface over an elastically flexible layer to the upper side of the sliding board body. Furthermore, it has been proposed to provide bridge-like support elements for the jaw bodies of a ski binding. Said bridge elements extend at right angles over the reinforcing element and are supported respectively on the longitudinal side edges of the sliding board body. The reinforcing element is disconnected in this way from the forces acting via the ski binding and the forces exerted by the ski binding transfer directly to the longitudinally side edges of the sliding board body. Said bridge elements require increased production costs and the connection of the bridge elements to the sliding board body is difficult in terms of production technology. Furthermore, the sliding board body in the connecting section is reinforced considerably by the bridge elements, whereby the performance of the whole construction is impaired.
Similar structures of a ski comprising a reinforcing profile that is hat-like in cross section and at least one bridge element bridging the reinforcing profile for supporting the ski binding are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,393,086 A. The designs disclosed therein also have the aforementioned disadvantages.
DE 101 26 121 A1 describes a ski consisting of a ski basic body and a board-like upper part connectable with the latter via coupling devices. The board-like upper part is in this case connected via screw connections to the ski basic body, whereby between the distal end sections of the upper part and the ski basic body movement is allowed in longitudinal direction, so that on bending the ski there is no mutual stiffening. Otherwise, the board-like upper part lies flat on the planar upper side of the ski body. The plate-like upper part can also be designed in this case as a spring element, which in the region of the binding assembly area comprises a spacer, in order to ensure the support of the spring element relative to the upper side of the ski basic body. Also these previously known embodiments are unsatisfactory in practice.
WO 00/10659 A1 describes a further structural form of a board-like sliding device, which comprises substantially two components arranged on top of one another. In this case the upper part is formed by a profile element which is substantially C-shaped in cross section, which in connection with a guiding rail which is T- or I-shaped in cross section forms a mutual engaging connection on the upper side of the ski basic body. Said T- or I-shaped guiding rail which is provided for the detachable, interlocking connection with the longitudinal slot on the lower side of the C-shaped upper side, is integrated into the structure of the ski basic body. Said engaging connection opposes a spacing between the upper part and the ski basic body in vertical direction to the running surface of the ski basic body. At the same time by means of this engaging connection relative displacements between the upper part and the ski basic body in a plane running at right angles to the longitudinal direction and parallel to the running surface of the ski basic body are prevented. Also said embodiment is complex in terms of production technology and is unsatisfactory and relatively uneconomical with respect to the resulting overall costs.
Moreover the embodiments described in WO 00/62877 A1, WO 2004/045727 A1, DE 198 36 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 3,260,531 A and U.S. Pat. No. 3,260,532 A of board-like sliding devices do not satisfy the requirements of combining the highest possible performance with relatively low production costs.